By Idu Jude
The Director General/CEO, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Dr. Rufus Ebegba, has said that the Federal Government is ready to develop a guideline to help in the regulation of stacked gene organisms in Nigeria.

Ebegba who disclosed this at a two-day meeting on the development of a guidance document on risk assessment of, and decision making on, GM plants stacked transformation events, held in Abuja on the 27th and 28th of July 2021, reiterated the position of NBMA as a watchdog to check the activities of modern biotechnology in the country.

“Stacked gene organisms are nothing different from what we have had over times, and the technology is a step further in the manipulation of genes of organisms for their intended benefits. It is a modification that has more than one gene in a particular organism.’’.

He also disclosed that the agency, from next month, would start the regulation process and pledged a reflection of expertise by the time the drafted guidelines were ready for public use.

Ebegba further assured Nigerians that only GMOs that have been confirmed to be safe by the regulatory body would be allowed in Nigeria as Nigeria is adopting safe technology that would enhance her socioeconomic needs.

He added that the regulation would also guarantee a prosperous economy in keeping pace with global efforts in economic diversification and the use of cutting-edge technology in driving economy-cum-agriculture for higher productivity and wealth creation.

“The previous guidelines developed have been tested to measure up to the global standard. The level of human resources in the agency is a thing to be proud of. The agency is blessed with the calibre of staff it has, and each and every one of them has been instrumental to the success story of the agency since inception.

‘’In the same vein, I honestly believe that the agency would have a template for the rest of Africa in no distant time” he said.

Ebegba also disclosed the government’s resolve for training and retraining of the staff as a way of building more confidence in the system.

The Country Representative for Program for Biosafety Systems, Dr. Matthew Dore, in his address, acknowledged what he called the ‘unquantifiable effort’ of NBMA in its six years of existence.

While urging the NBMA to maintain its tempo in leading Africa in Biosafety matters, he noted that the Agency under the auspices of the minister of environment, and with the huge support of the government, had achieved a lot and made Nigeria proud in the comity of nations.

“Other African countries today are looking up to Nigeria for guidance and recommendations viz-a-viz biosafety matters,’’ he added.

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Director, African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE) AUDA-NEPAD, Dr. Jeremy Ouedraogo, in a remark, said the immense advantages of stacked genes make it important to be adopted and properly regulated to ensure smooth practices devoid of health threats to the ecosystem.